Center-dumping ballast car



Dec'. 30, 92@A LSZJMG A. E. EMME@ CENTER DUMPlNG BALLAST CAR."l

ALBERT EZ WM5@ WTA/55.555 A ga W7 A H/s ATTORNEY .Dean 319, @24.

A. E. ZMMER CENTER DUMPING BALLAST CAR 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 16, 1925 Patented Dec. 3Q, 1924.

UNITED STATES PATENT GFFICE.

ALBERT E. ZIJIMER, OF CHICAGO, ILLTNOIS, ASSGNQE TO ENTERPRISE RATLWAY EQUIPMENT COMPANY, OF CHCAG-O, ILLNOS, i CORPORATION OF TLLINOIS.

CENTER-DUMPNG BALLAST CAR.

Application filed June 16, 1923.

To all whomfzgmay concern:

Be it known that l, ALBERT E. ZIMMER, a citizen of the United States, residing Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a certain new and useful improvement in Center-Dumping Ballast Cars, of which the following is a full, clear, concise, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification.

My invention relates to improvements in center dumping 'ballast cars and particularly to that type having a longitudinally extending hopper including a stationary side and a movable side and meeting in an apex adapted to discharge between the rails of a railway track.

ln cars of the identified type, it has heretofore been customary to form the hopper with the apex thereof disposed substantially at the center line of the car and depend upon intermediate or side. sills to sustain the draft strains. 1t has been found highly desirable to transmit draft and buifing strains directly through the center line o f the car and in order to accomplish this purpose it has heretofore been proposed to dispose a center sill centrally of the car through the hopper but such proposed constructions have been found to greatly impair the dumping efliciency of the car since they cause the lading in the car to bind between the lower iiange of the center sill and the stationary floor side. It is the object of my invention to remedy this defect while at the same time retaining the advantages of the center sill by lowering the stationary fioor side and moving the terminal edge thereof downwardly and away from the center line of the car and extending the Swinging door across the center line of the car to meet the aforesaid terminal edge of the stationary floor, thereby disposing the apex of the hopper to one side of the center line of the car. Such a construction, in addition to providing a car wherein the flow of ballast is unimpeded, also provides for a discharge opening extending on either side of the center line of the car and insuring the deposition of the ballast centrally of the roadbed.

My invention further resides in certain other features of novelty as will be hereinafter more fully pointed out and claimed.

In the drawings forming a part of this Sera No. 645,713.

specification, Figure 1 is a transverse sectional view taken through a car embodying my improved construction. Figure 2 is a broken side elevational view of the car illustrated in Figure 1. Figure 3 is a sectional view taken on a line corresponding substantially to the line 3 3 of Figure 2.

ln said drawings, the improved car is shown as having a pair of heavy, built-up sides rfi-ri, which constitute the main longitudinal load carrying members of the car; a single built-up center sill B; a fixed sloping side C haVinO the terminal edge thereof reinforced by a longitudinally extending beam l); a fixed sloping floor E having the terminal elge thereof reinforced by a longitudinally extending member F; a swinging hopper door Cr hinged to the aforesaid stationary floor E and ladapted to abut the terminal edge of the opposite floor C when the door is in closed position; and sloping end floors H.

IThe sides A of the car are preferably formed of suificient strength to act as load carrying members between body holsters (not shown herein) and to this end each side plate 10 is reinforced by an upper chordmember 11 and a lower chord member 12, the latter preferably formed by a channel. As is apparent from an inspection of Figure 1, the channel 12 is disposed substantially in alignment with the center sill B which, in this instance, is formed of a pair of channels 13-13 placed back to back. Connection between each side wall A and the center sill B is effected by means of inner diaphragms 111 and outer diaphragms 15 which are respectively secured to the center sill and side wall of the car and joined together by rivets 16 which pass through both diaphragms and the sloping side floor plates of the car. inasmuch as the strain due to the weight of the car body and the lading in the car is transferred to the holsters mainly by the sides of the car, it is necessary that the transverse members constitute a continuous beam between the side walls of the car and to this end the inner diaphragms 14; are tied together by bottom cover plates 16 extending transversely of the car across the plane of the center sill B.

The lower portions of the sloping side floors or those portions extending below the diaphragm are supported by means of gusset plates, as indicated at 17 and 18, respectively.

'Ihe entire car may be said to'constitute a single, longitudinally extending hopper which the ballast is adapted to be discharged Il (l "fill thereby between the rails. The said opening is adapted to be closed by the door G which is lpivotally mounted along its upper edge on hinge brackets 2O secured to the longitudinally extending stiifener or beam F. The free edge ofthe door is adapted, when the same is in closed position, .to abut the ter- `minal edge of the sloping floor C thereby forming with the latter an apex odset from the center of the car. It has formerly been the practice to dispose the apex of the hopper, as formed by the stationary floor and door, on the longitudinal center of the car, this condition being indicated by conventional dotted lines wherein 21 indicates the sloping floor and 22 the door, while the out.- line of ballast as deposited by the old form of car is indicated at 23. The restricted opening between the lower portion of the center sill B and the usual sloping floor 2l, as indicated by the dimension line (4, impeded the ready flow of ballast and the tendency for the load in the'car to arch was accentuated. Furthermore, such type of car was deficient inasmuch as the load discharge opening was entirely contained on one side of the longitudinal center of the car thereby depositing the ballast to one side of the roadbed and flooding one of the rails and sometimes causing derailyment of cars. With my improved construction I have remedied such deficiencies by having a door opening extending to either c side of the longitudinal center of car, thereby providing greater clearance between the sill B and the stationary floor side C, and a larger door opening is rendered possible while the ridge of ballast as left by a moving car is deposited centrally of the roadbed, the outline of the maximum heap of ballast'which may be deposited by my improved car being` indicated by lines 24 and 25, the terminal edge of stationary floor C being arranged to limit the ridge of ballast so that it will be clear of the flange 26 of the wheel 19.V It will be appreciated that in order to secure a ridge of ballast conforming to the shape .indicated by lines 24 and 25, a certain amount has to flow from the end of the hopper, the same beingregulated by a baffle plate 27, the lower margin of which is adapted to intersect the shedding surface of the door G when inthe normal open position for ballasting, as indicated at 30 in Figure 1, line 25 indicating the angle of repose of the ballasting material. If a fast flow of material is desired, the door may be fullyopened to the position indicated at 30a.

For operating the `door G, I provide a longitudinally extending shaft 28 rotatably mounted in bearings 29 which are secured to the outer diaphragms 15, said shaft28 being operated through suitable worm and worm gearing, as indicated conventionally at 31 in Figure 3, from the transverse shaft 32 which is provided at the outer end thereof with a ratchet wheel 33 adapted to be operated by lever 34 and pawl 35. The ratchet 33 is further locked in closed position by means of pawl 36 and cam 37. The aforesaid rotating and locking mechanism is supported in position at the outer end of the shaft by means of bracket 38 through which the hub 39of ratchet wheel 33 passes. Ihe aforesaid bracket 38 is provided with angularly ldisposed fiange portions, one of which, 40, is secured to the web of the side channel 12 and the other flange secured to the lower flange of the channel 12. The worm and gearing 31 is mounted on a flanged plate 41 carried by the side wall of the car and the sloping floor C, the same being disposed directly bethind the corresponding adjacent sill 12 and the tra-nsverse shaft 32 passing directly under the sill, thereby forming a very compact mechanism and one which .is readily accessible for repairs and maintenance. On the shaft 28 are provided a plurality of drums 42 only one being illustrated in Figure 2) and co-operable with each drum is a flexible element 43 passing through an aperture 44 in the web of the beam DQ Passing the connections 43 between they shaft and the door through the apertures in the web of 'the beam in the manner shown7 provides for a better pulling angle between the door and the shaft but tends to weaken the strength of the reinforcing beam and in order to compensate for such weakened condition, I have applied flanged reinforcing members 45p, each of which is secured to the web of the beam and extended for a short distance to either side of the corresponding aperture. Connection between each flexible connection 43 and the door is effected by means of an adjustable eyebolt-46v which passes through the door front reinforcing member 47 and a bracket 48.

Although I have shown and described what I now Aconsider to be preferred embodiment of my invention, the same is merely illustrative and I contemplate all changes andv modifications as come within the scope of the claims 'appended hereto.

1. In a car of the character described havin a single center sill, the combination with si e walls; of oppositely inclined side hopper bottom walls; and a longitudinally extending hopper door hinged to the terminal edge of one of the side hopper bottom walls and adapted to meet the terminal edge of the oppositely inclined bottom wall, thereby forming a hopper, the apex formed by the meeting of the door and stationary side hopper bottom wall being disposed to one side of the longitudinal center of the car.

2. In a car adapted to discharge ballast between the rails, the combination with a longitudinally arranged hopper including, a fixed sloping side with the lower edge thereof terminating at one side of the longitudinal center line of the car, and a swinging door, the free edge of which co-operates with the terminal edge of the side when the door is in closed position; of a centrally disposed sill member extending longitudinally through -the hopper.

3. In a car adapted to discharge ballast between the rails, the combination with load carrying sides and a. centrally disposed 1ongitudinally extending draft member; of a longitudinally extending hopper including, fixed sloping side ioor sections disposed to either side cf the aforesaid longitudinally extending member, said sloping sides having their lower terminal edges spaced away from the center line of the car, and a door hinged adjacent the free edge of one of the aforesaid terminal edges and extending across the plane of the center line of the car and having the free edge thereof co-operating with the terminal edge of the opposite sloping side of the hopper.

4. In a ballast car, the combination with a longitudinally extending hopper including oppositely and downwardly inclined sides meeting to form an apex located to one side of the longitudinal center line of the car, one of the said sides including a swinging door; of a centrally disposed sill extending longitudinally through the hopper; and diaphragms extending between the sloping sides and. the center member and secured to both of said members.

5. In a ballast car, the combination with a longitudinally extending hopper including oppositely and downwardly inclined sides meeting to form an apex located to one side of the longitudinal center of car, one of the said sides including a swinging door; of load carrying sides; a centrally disposed sill extending longitudinally through the hopper; and diaphragms extending between the sloping sides and the center member and a bottom cover plate extending across the plane of the center sill and secured to the dilaphragms on either side of the center si l.

6. In a ballast car adapted todistribute the ballast between rails, the combination with a longitudinally extending, centraly disposed center sill; of oppositely arranged, stationary, sloping side walls disposed to either side of the center sill and sloping downwardly towards the longitudinal center of the car and having the terminal edge of each of said sloping walls spaced from the longitudinal center of the car, one of said walls having the terminal edge thereof disposed above the other; and a door pivotally mounted to the aforesaid upper terminal edge of the sloping floor and engaging the terminal edge of the opposite sloping Hoor.

7. In a car of the character described, the combination with a stationary sloping side having a. beam reinforcing the terminal edge of the aforesaid sloping side, said beam having a flange spaced from the floor of the car and a web bridging the space between the flange and Hoor; of a door abutting the terminal edge of the stationary floor; a shaft rotatably mounted in the car structure; a connection between the shaft and door, said connection passing through an aperture in the web of said beam; and a separate reinforcing member secured to said beam and embracing the aperture.

8. In a car of the character described, the the combination with the side wall of the car; of a stationary, sloping floor secured thereto; a door abutting the terminal edge of the aforesaid stationary sloping floor; a series of transverse members extending between the side wall of the car and the sloping floor and carried thereby; a shaft passing through the aforesaid transverse members; connections between the shaft and door; and means for rotating the shaft and operating the door, said means comprising worm and gearing and including a shaft operating in a plane at right angles to the aforesaid shaft and extending below the side wall of the car, said shaft being journalled in a bearing carried by and depending from the side of the car.

9. In a dump car, the combination with the side of the car; of a dump door; a shaft hidden behind the side wall of the car; worm and gearing for rotating the shaft; and a shaft operating in a plane substantially at right angles to the aforesaid shaft and passing beneath the side wall of the car and journalled in a bearing carried thereby.

In witness that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto subscribed my name this 12th day of June, 1923.

ALBERT E. ZIMMER. Witnesses:

FRANCES SAVAGE, HARRIETTE M. DEAMER. 

